What is a mud ball in Golf?

A regular talking point - unless you are at the Masters - mud balls can have a great effect on golf shots, particularly at the top level where the margin for error is so small.

It is at the discretion of the tournament organisers at the four majors as to whether players are allowed to play preferred lies or not.

At the 2025 PGA Championship, the decision not to use them threatened to overshadow the main talking points from round one.

Mud Balls

What are they?

Mud balls are simply the name for golf balls that have become covered in mud during bad weather, or on soft ground.

If the ground below the surface is damp and muddy, the ball can break through upon impact and pick up some of the dirt.

How do they affect golf shots?

Mud balls can have a huge effect on the way a shot travels, completely changing the flight and trajectory.

One of the biggest issues is being unable to actually predict what a ball covered in mud is going to do.

One one hand, the mud could immediately drop off when it is shot is played, meaning the ball would react as normal. On the other hand however, the mud may remain stuck, adding weight to one side of the ball and causing it to spin or curve away from the intended target.

Say for example, that you walked up to your ball in the fairway and saw it had a lump of mud stuck to the right hand side of it. Should you play that shot and the mud remain on the ball, the weight of said mud would add weight and increased drag to the right of the ball.

According to PING, this would send the shot left, as the mud in the dimples of the ball would create a turbulent wake around the right hand side of it.

Preferred Lies

What are they?

The preferred lies rule allows players to pick their ball up and clean it, provided it is placed back down within a specific distance of where it was picked up from.

When is the rule used?

Preferred lies are used mostly in poor weather conditions and, as aforementioned, the use of the rule is at the discretion of the major tournament organisers.

What happened at the 2025 PGA Championship?

The weekend before the 2025 PGA Championship, Quail Hollow received heavy rain, which stopped the Tuesday before play started.

Following inspections, it was declared that the majority of the course had recovered well and was in good condition.

However, when play commenced on the Thursday, a number of players were struggling with approach shots to the 16th green. Most noticeably Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who occupy first and third respectively in the world rankings.

Both players saw their approach shots skew off into the water surrounding the green, leading to double bogeys for the pair.

An incredibly improbably scenario for two players of their calibre, leaving the duo very clearly frustrated.

In their post-round interviews, both golfers aired their frustrations at the preferred lies rule not being in use, with Schauffele implying that the two of them weren't the only golfers unhappy with the conditions.

What did the players say?

I wouldn't want to go in the locker room because I'm sure a lot of guys aren't super happy with sort of the conditions there.

Xander Schauffele after carding a 72 in round one of the 2025 PGA Championship.

You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball, and due to a rules decision all of a sudden you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes.

World number one Scottie Scheffler following his 69 during round one at Quail Hollow.